Art

The National Museum of American History is not an art museum. But works of art fill its collections and testify to the vital place of art in everyday American life. The ceramics collections hold hundreds of examples of American and European art glass and pottery. Fashion sketches, illustrations, and prints are part of the costume collections. Donations from ethnic and cultural communities include many homemade religious ornaments, paintings, and figures. The Harry T Peters "America on Stone" collection alone comprises some 1,700 color prints of scenes from the 1800s. The National Quilt Collection is art on fabric. And the tools of artists and artisans are part of the Museum's collections, too, in the form of printing plates, woodblock tools, photographic equipment, and potters' stamps, kilns, and wheels.

This black and white print depicts Jesus Christ with four little children, three men and three women. All of the figures are wearing stylized flowing robes. Christ is shown placing his right hand on a boy’s head in blessing, while his left arm is gently around a young girl.
Description
This black and white print depicts Jesus Christ with four little children, three men and three women. All of the figures are wearing stylized flowing robes. Christ is shown placing his right hand on a boy’s head in blessing, while his left arm is gently around a young girl. Two of the mothers are kneeling and looking reverently at the figure of Christ. The apostle Matthew recounts an occasion when families brought their children to Jesus for his blessing, only to be rebuked by his disciples. In response, Christ said: "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these" (Chapter 19:13-14).
The print is titled in pencil script below the image as “Christ Blessing Little Children.” The image is of an 1866 Currier & Ives print entitled Jesus Blessing Little Children. This print could be a proof before letters print or a copy of the Currier & Ives print, but it is unsigned with no indication of the original artist, lithographer, or publisher.
Nathaniel Currier (1813-1888) was born in Roxbury, Massachusetts, and after serving an apprenticeship in Boston, he moved to New York City in 1834. In New York, he briefly partnered with Adam Stodart, but their firm dissolved within a year, and Currier went into business on his own until 1857. James M. Ives (1824-1895) was a native New York lithographer who was hired as a bookkeeper by Currier in 1852. In 1857, the two men partnered, forming the famous lithography firm of Currier and Ives, which continued under their sons until 1907.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1866-1900
depicted
Jesus Christ
artist attribution
Currier & Ives
ID Number
DL.60.2963
catalog number
60.2963
accession number
228146
Colored print of Christ kneeling in a garden. An angel comes to him with a cross with crown of thorns in one hand and a chalice in the other. Beneath the print is a quote of Christ's prayer.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Colored print of Christ kneeling in a garden. An angel comes to him with a cross with crown of thorns in one hand and a chalice in the other. Beneath the print is a quote of Christ's prayer.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
ca 1846
distributors
Sowle & Shaw
depicted
Jesus Christ
maker
Baillie, James S.
ID Number
DL.60.2970
catalog number
60.2970
accession number
228146
This colored print depicts Saint Thomas putting his finger in the wound on Christ's side. Seven of the apostles look on in astonishment and joy.
Description
This colored print depicts Saint Thomas putting his finger in the wound on Christ's side. Seven of the apostles look on in astonishment and joy. According to John (20:24 - 29), Thomas was not present when Christ first appeared before the apostles after his resurrection, and he refused to believe their account. Only when Christ appeared a second time and urged Thomas to touch his wounds, did the disciple profess his belief in Christ’s divinity. In response, Christ said: “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” This theme has inspired many paintings in the Western art, as well as countless sermons.
This lithograph was produced by the lithographic firm of D. W. Kellogg and Company. Daniel Wright Kellogg (1807-1874) founded the company in Hartford, Connecticut in 1830. Even before its first retail store opened in 1834, the D.W. Kellogg & Co. lithography firm was well established and popular in United States, particularly in the South and the Southwest. As the founding member of the family company, Daniel Wright Kellogg was responsible for the initial growth and popularity of the firm. After he left the company, it continued to flourish for decades under his younger brothers and other family members.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
ca 1840
depicted
Jesus Christ
Saint Thomas the Apostle
maker
D.W. Kellogg and Company
ID Number
DL.60.2968
catalog number
60.2968
accession number
228146
This colored print depicts the Christ child in a manger surrounded by Mary, Joseph, and four shepherds. The shepherds are presenting gifts of a lamb and two doves. The Nativity scene is one of the most recognizable and popular images in Western art.
Description
This colored print depicts the Christ child in a manger surrounded by Mary, Joseph, and four shepherds. The shepherds are presenting gifts of a lamb and two doves. The Nativity scene is one of the most recognizable and popular images in Western art. The Bible contains two narratives of the birth of Jesus: Matthew 1:18-25 and Luke 2:1-7. Of these, only Luke offers the details of Jesus' humble birth in a manger in Bethlehem. There is no information available about the artist, lithographer, or the publisher, however there appears to be a tiny indecipherable signature on the lower right.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
n.d.
depicted
Jesus Christ
Joseph
Mary
maker
unknown
ID Number
DL.60.2967
catalog number
60.2967
accession number
228146

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